This year's Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement is being awarded to ZAKA founder Yehuda Meshi-Zahav and Dr. Yosef Chachnover, former director general of the Foreign Ministry, Education Minister Yoav Gallant announced Tuesday.
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Meshi-Zahav recently lost both his parents to COVID-19, shortly after his brother succumbed to a serious illness.
The prize committee said that Meshi-Zahav was being awarded the lifetime achievement prize "for his exceptional contribution, both in providing help in disaster situations and for his work strengthening unity and bringing people closer together in Israeli society."
Meshi-Zahav has been the head of ZAKA for three decades. Under his leadership, the organization has played a vital role in rescues, saving lives, and identifying remains at scenes of tragedies in Israel and abroad.
"Yehuda Meshi-Zahav is devoting his life to unifying Israel, out of a feeling of devotion and true faith in the need to build bridges and carry on dialogue between all sectors of society as the key to living together in Israel," the prize committee wrote.
In response to the announcement, Meshi-Zahav told Israel Hayom: "I'm going to visit my parents' graves to tell them about the prize, and give them a few moments of joy. The prize isn't mine, it belongs to the thousands of men and women who volunteer with ZAKA who have shown that things can be done differently, and that is possible to make a positive connection with the people of Israel."
The prize committee said it was also recognizing Chachnover's life work, which it said "made a major contribution to the country in a variety of areas: security, economy, law, and foreign relations. Throughout the years of his service, he had a deciding influence in promoting Israel's interests at watershed moments."
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